Saturday 30 September 2017

Welcome to Schooling.

This is a true story, happening even now. It is of a little 4 year old boy, bright, curious, with caring professional parents and a doting infant-teacher grandmother. He was really looking forward to his first day at school. Before lunch he had been sent to the head of year and shouted at, and before the headteacher when he was shouted at again. By the end of the day he had been sent out of class, and put in isolation for five minutes with a timer, no talking and no eye contact. He doesn't yet know what he had done wrong, and nor does he now, but he had breached some rules somewhere. He arrived home saying be was a bad boy (he isn't), a wicked boy (he certainly isn't but who spoke the word to him?). He cried himself to sleep. End of the first school day. Next morning he asked to stay at home because he is good at home and wicked at school. The teacher had never taught reception before, was not teacher trained but came via TEFL. The school website is very coy about what her qualifications actually are.
Does this ring any bells, anyone? Deep learning going on. A day to remember - indeed a day never to be forgotten.
A month later: He dislikes the school and he doesn’t want to go there! He says this every night, He gets the prospectus out,  marks it with a big cross and says this. He is just 4, from a curious bubbly child to an unhappy mess. Now a month after starting school he has lost his childhood enthusiasm and in trauma rejects friends who might get him into trouble. he has drawn right into himself. The parents are trying to negotiate  change of school.